“The only true disability is the inability to accept and respect differences”
Dear Colleagues,
It gives me enormous pleasure to present to you my annual report of our mission for the period 1st July 2024 to 30th June 2025.
This report is of special significance to our VACD Australian and Sri Lankan teams, sponsors, supporters, and well-wishers given that we will soon be celebrating our 14th anniversary of the founding of VACD in the township of Bandarawela on 27th December 2011, where we pledged to care, assist, rehabilitate and uplift children with congenital impairments while supporting them and their families in the Uva Province of Sri Lanka to be accepted and respected as equals amongst their local communities.
Our Vision & Mission
As a group of like-minded and committed volunteers, we continue to concentrate our collective efforts, energy and skills to employ all available resources to fulfill our objectives and goals that are enshrined in our mission statement: “To empower and uplift children with disabilities and their families living in the poorest regions of Sri Lanka and to build strong and engaged communities who embrace children with disabilities and encourage lives of fulfilment and inclusion”
Our History
Having surmounted various cultural, financial, and socio-economic obstacles and challenges in Sri Lanka during our nearly 14 years in existence, the dedication, commitment, and steadfastness of our Sri Lankan leadership team and the wisdom and commitment of our own Australian team have enabled us to successfully achieve our goals in spite of these trials and accomplish many of our mission’s aims and objectives.
Initially set up to help 11 children with disabilities in response to a request by a staff member of St Joseph’s College, Bandarawela, we now have close to 360+ registered children within the Uva Province with us.
Our first centre “Sir Robert Clark Centre for Children with Disabilities” was established in Bandarawela, followed a few years later by our “Dora Jeanne Centre for Children with Disabilities” in Badulla and then our third centre sponsored by Teardrop Hotels in Sri Lanka in Ambagasdowa.
Projects and programs that were placed on hold or postponed due to the COVID pandemic recommenced and have since gathered momentum.
OUR PEOPLE
The Australian Board of Directors remained largely unchanged, except for the following changes that were made during stage 1 of our medium to long-term succession and consolidation plan:
- Mrs. Farrah Carim of the VACD Melbourne Chapter was appointed a Director in the VACD Australia Board
- Mr. Roderick de Sylva from our VACD Sydney team was appointed Director Marketing and Public Relations
- Mrs. Shanthi Manamperi – VACD Australia Board Director and VACD Legal Governance & Compliance Coordinator will take on the additional role of Chairman VACD Australia effective July 2025.
- I have assumed the role of Chairman Emeritus VACD Australia effective July 2025.
- Our VACD Sri Lanka Board of Directors remained unchanged.
VACD LEGAL STRUCTURE & MANAGEMENT
We are a benevolent limited liability publicly listed company registered with the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) and listed in the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) register. We received ACNC’s ‘’tick of approval’ that reassures the public that our mission is transparent, accountable, well-structured, and well-administered. VACD was granted “Deductible Gift Recipient Status” by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) on 1st December 2015.
Likewise, VACD Sri Lanka is a benevolent limited liability publicly listed company registered with Registrar General of Companies in the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.
VACD Australia’s Board of Directors are at the helm of the overall administrative and organisational structure of our mission with sole responsibilities for marketing, fundraising, financial management, media & communications, reporting & publications, and compliance & governance oversight.
The VACD Sri Lanka chapter functions autonomously while being closely integrated with VACD Australia under a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that incorporates our governance and compliance policies such as code of conduct, child protection, privacy, anti-money laundering and anti-terrorism policies that regulate the day-to-day operations and delivery of services to our registered VACD children and their families in Sri Lanka. This MOU fulfils our legal, statutory and compliance obligations relating to our registration and license to operate in Australia and Sri Lanka.
Mrs. Yasmin Stephen (VACD Australia Communications & Administration Secretary) and I remain volunteer non-executive Advisory Board members to the VACD Sri Lanka Board.
Detailed financial and activity Reports from VACD Sri Lanka are regularly furnished to the Australian team under the MOU so that consolidated financial, financial analysis and activity reports can be prepared by us on a monthly basis for the VACD Australia board and comprehensive annual reports and financial reports compiled are filed by us with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC).
All approved programs and projects in Sri Lanka are planned and implemented by the Sri Lankan leadership team with the assistance of four parent committees consisting of volunteer VACD parents and chaired by VACD Sri Lanka directors.
VACD Sri Lanka presently employs 14 paid staff, all of whom are based in Sri Lanka, consisting of 1 special education teacher and two assistant teachers in each centre (9 educators in all), 3 caretakers, 1 office administrator and 1 Projects & Programs Coordinator.
The number of volunteers (including Directors) in Australia and Sri Lanka are approximately 100+. We are deeply indebted for the unstinting and unpaid services tendered to our mission by all our volunteers over many years.
Our finances and legal requirements
VACD is very much reliant on the generosity of donors consisting mostly of VACD Board members, close friends, former colleagues, and family members. We experienced a drastic downturn in post-covid donations of up to 40% that forced us to fall back on our strategic fund reserves.
The rebuilding of our strategic reserves is ongoing so that we comply with ACNC (Australian Charities and Not for Profit Commission) and ASIC (Australian Securities and Investments Commission) guidelines on medium to long-term financial stability requirements. This is due to our distinctive financial position where donations raised in one legal jurisdiction (Australia) are being deployed exclusively in another (Sri Lanka) legal jurisdiction.
Our ongoing prudent and stringent financial management strategies/policies along with the elimination of unnecessary expenditure, meticulous expenditure reporting requirements imposed on VACD Sri Lanka together with our judicious management of available and estimated financial resources have placed us in a position where we can confidently manage any financial challenges we may face in the future, primarily because of regular and ad hoc financial support we receive from those who have supported us since inception.
Our main expenditures for FY 2024/25 consisted of mostly salaries and rents on centre properties which made up 46% of our total expenditure while our Family and Educational Assistance programs totalled 16%. The cost of rehabilitative services provided directly and indirectly to our children with disabilities amounted to 97.2% of total expenditure, with administrative and marketing expenditure making up the balance 2.8%.
Our legal and administrative expenses have remained in the low to mid-single digits over the past 10 years.
Our reliance on pro bono services, voluntary services by parents and well-wishers have been the most effective way of minimising expenses since we were established. As a policy, all VACD directors in Australia and Sri Lanka have and continue to provide their services to our mission on a pro-bono basis.
Sponsorship – A big and Sincere Thank you!!!:
We deeply appreciate and thank our VACD Australian Director Mr. Greg Fendler, his wife Mrs. Jenny Fendler and rest of the Fendler family for sponsoring our “Dora Jeanne Centre for Children with Disabilities” in Badulla.
Our heartfelt gratitude also goes out to Teardrop Hotels Group in Sri Lanka who continue to sponsor the VACD’s Ambagasdowa centre and especially to Mr. Henry Fitch CEO and Ms Anoushka Boralessa – Head of Business Development & Sustainability who share our passion and commitment to support the needy and vulnerable.
The Bandarawela Centre unfortunately is still in need of a sponsor. Any assistance and guidance from you towards finding a magnanimous sponsor for this centre will be deeply appreciated.
A Big Thank you!!!
- I wish to place on record my deep and heartfelt thanks to Dr. Gopi Kitnasamy – Founder Chairman – Cerebral Palsy Lanka Foundation who has been our mentor, source of inspiration and enthusiastic supporter of our mission for many long years. He and his team continue to provide vital services to our staff and children.
- I also wish to place on record my sincere thanks and deep appreciation for the wisdom, guidance and support given to me and VACD by Dr. Mithran Coomarasamy – Paediatrician and Paediatric Rehabilitation Physician, Sydney, for his ongoing guidance and support for our mission.
- My deep and sincere thanks to our VACD Australia Director – Mrs. Farrah Carim and to her husband Mr. Rukshan Carim for donating much-needed Laptop computers that are being put to good use at all our VACD centres in Sri Lanka.
- A special “thank you” to Mr. Anthony De Silva – President WASLA (West Australian Sri Lanka Association in Perth Western Australia) and his colleagues for raising and donating funds to our mission.
Upcoming Projects and programs:
1. Early identification and early intervention program to be introduced across the Uva province in collaboration with the Uva Provincial Ministry of Health, to support mothers of young children (0-5 years) diagnosed with congenital disabilities by providing them with opportunities to meet at VACD centres and/or other facilities, and benefit from socialising and learning skills to support their child to be introduced to our VACD Sri Lanka staff by our VACD
Australia Director Ms. Gabriella Vascotto (Bachelor Special Education., Visiting Consultant to VACD schools in Sri Lanka, Learning Consultant -Autism/Behaviour and Supported Playgroup Project Consultant for Catholic Education Melbourne, Victoria)
2. Paediatric services being extended to VACD children/parents by local Paediatricians at Uva government hospitals, who with the support of the Uva Provincial Ministry of Health have pledged to support VACD initiatives to examine, advise, treat, and prescribe medication for children with congenital disabilities.
3. Educator training – Staff to be trained on a regular basis by specialists/ experts from Cerebral Palsy Lanka Foundation who will hold regular onsite and online training.
4. A potential fund-raising event being held in Canberra early next year to support ongoing and future VACD projects and programs.
Many thanks for your continued guidance, counselling and support that have made my responsibilities a pleasure to carry and duties to fulfill.
I wish you, your families, loved ones and my dear colleagues the absolute best now and over the coming years and look forward to working with you closely to achieve the noble objectives of our mission and the successful continuation of our journey that began almost 14 years ago.
“If not us, then who? If not now, then when?”
Sincerely yours in service….Felix
Felix Stephen
Chairman Emeritus – Australia Board of Directors,
Volunteers to Assist Children with Disabilities Limited. Australia,
& Member of the Advisory Boards of VACD & VACD Sri Lanka
11th September 2025